Questions & Answers about เขา ไม่ พูด ครับ
Why is there no word for 'does' in the Thai sentence?
In English, we need helper verbs like 'does' to make a negative sentence ('does not speak'). Thai is much simpler! You just place the negative word ไม่ right before the main verb พูด (speak). No extra helper words are needed.
If เขา means 'he', could this sentence also mean 'she does not speak'?
Yes, exactly! The pronoun เขา is gender-neutral and can mean 'he', 'she', or 'they'. We translated it as 'he' here, but depending on who you are talking about, it could just as easily mean 'she does not speak'.
Why does the sentence use the male polite particle ครับ? Is it because the subject 'he' is male?
No, it's important to remember that polite particles like ครับ (for men) and ค่ะ (for women) depend on the gender of the person speaking, not the person you are talking about! Since ครับ is used here, it means the person saying this sentence is male, regardless of who เขา is.
How would I change this to 'He did not speak' in the past tense?
Learn เขา ไม่ พูด ครับ and more in Thai
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free